


Fly By Night

by The_Exile



Category: Final Fantasy VI
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Early Game, F/F, Fugitives, Protectiveness, Self-Discovery, Spoilers, hold me tight, recovering from brainwashing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-11
Updated: 2017-09-11
Packaged: 2018-12-26 12:26:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12058965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Exile/pseuds/The_Exile
Summary: Celes defects from the Empire and takes Terra with her - she's not sure why but it seemed right at the time. Now they're both fugitives and have to decide what to do with their life, even though they still don't really have any idea who they are and it's worse for Terra, who has to literally learn how to think for herself again. Still, they've got each other...





	Fly By Night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [runicmagitek](https://archiveofourown.org/users/runicmagitek/gifts).



She opened her eyes and was greeted by pain. 

Not just in her body, although it felt as though they had been running for miles and there had been at least one battle in which she had been injured, probably by fire - something in her mind was screaming at her that her every sensation felt fundamentally wrong, as though something vital was missing. She felt as though she had been somewhere warm and dark, at the back of a long tunnel where she observed everything happened somewhere far away, not able to move but not really caring. She had no desire to move. Everything had been a hazy dream, not exactly pleasant but... just as it was meant to be. Sometimes she was vaguely aware that she was in battle and then she was healed afterwards, sometimes she was praised and that brought a warm glow into her heart, other times she was told she had failed and that invoked a burning drive to redeem herself. Sometimes she was in front of a crowd of people and they confused her senses but she found comfort in that all the people she was programmed to serve were there alongside her. Other times she trained or rested, watched the world go by. 

And then suddenly, like a switch being turned and a picture that only ever flickered briefly turning into raging static and a dreamer being violently woken up, she was somewhere too cold and bright and painful and she was aware of all the blood on her hands, all the sins she had ever committed, and even though they weren't really her own hands pulling the strings, it didn't feel as though that fact justified anything.

She doubled over, alternately retching and emitting strangled sobs, grabbing at her lime green hair with hands that were too soft and pale for someone who should be dripping in blood. To her vague surprise, a strong but slender pair of hands reached out to steady her, a firm grip pulling her hands away from her hair before she could injure herself again.

"Easy, there. The withdrawal effects aren't nice, I know," a voice whispered, an older female she vaguely remembered, possibly someone she had to obey although the impulses didn't come to her any more, "Please don't pull on your hair. It's beautiful, you know? It's gonna steal someone's heart now that you have your life back..."

"A life?" she gasped, her voice coming out an awkward croak, not even sure how to phrase sentences that weren't prescribed for her, "You think I can just go and have a life now?"

Burying her head in her hands, her sobs were cut off when the other woman's hands reached out and collected her up in an embrace. She used some kind of expensive perfume but it was mixed with the smells of sweat, soil and the general disarray of having actually done something with herself that was a strangely tantalising mix. Terra realised with a start that it was reassuring in a completely different way to the haze she had existed in up until now, for as long as she could remember. 

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I'm not so good at this tactfulness business and I should have thought before I spoke," she admitted, "Of course you're not going to just get up and start a new life, even if we weren't on the run from the Empire. You probably don't have the first clue how to start living a life, do you? Hell, you probably don't even know who you are," she sighed, "And here's me being a huge hypocrite. I'm not exactly holding it together well myself, and I have literally no idea what I'm supposed to do next. I mean, it's not like we can just go and have a normal life even if we knew how..."

Suddenly, she broke off as she realised she had been running her hand through Terra's hair, clutching her a little more tightly than she had intended, "I'm sorry, is this uncomfortable? Am I stopping you getting free?"

"N... no, I like it... like this... h-here with you..." Terra's voice shook. She had closed her eyes and leaned into the other woman's embrace without realising it. She willed herself not to fall asleep. Even though it hurt like hell, she didn't want to lose this unique experience of being awake for the first time and... feeling this...

She coughed, then said, "General Celes, right?"

The other woman nodded, "Well, I guess you're not a General any more if you steal your Emperor's most valuable and beautiful treasure and then run off into the back end of nowhere. Not that I haven't been doing more than a few shady deals in my spare time already, between you and me."

"Um... where are we?" Terra blinked, rubbing her eyes. Celes loosened her grip to let the other woman have a look around. It was dark and cold and damp. She heard drips from above her. It stank of wild magic.

"An abandoned mine in Narshe. It's deep in Returner territory. Nobody's gonna look for us here. Well, we're dead if they find out who we are, I guess, but I have disguises and cover stories for us. I... I may have done this a few times before."

Terra frowned. The smell was getting worse. It was more than just unprocessed, it was alive. Aware. Getting closer... waking up? Like her. In response to her?

"It's still not safe here," she told Celes, who facepalmed.

"Dammit, you're right, this is a mine and I forgot hardhats!"

"No, there's something big and dangerous down here."

"Like a monster? I saw monsters, but nothing I couldn't..."

"Bigger than those," Terra snapped, "I think... we need to leave. Right now."

"Hm, I think we can still afford an inn. I spent all our money on paying some people at the border not to ask questions but these monsters all have bounties on their heads," Celes told her, "Okay, if anyone asks, I'm Rena and you're Tio, and we're sisters, wandering mercenaries down on our luck..."

"I am not being your sister."

"Why not? We can look the same with a little make-up..."

Terra leaned forwards and whispered something into Celes' ear while also wrapping her arms around the General's neck. It was Celes' turn to blush.

"Oh."


End file.
